CVE-2000-0088 is a high-severity buffer overflow vulnerability affecting Microsoft Office versions 97, 98, and 2000. The flaw exists in the conversion utilities responsible for handling Japanese, Korean, and Chinese Word 5 document formats. Specifically, when these utilities process malformed conversion data embedded in such documents, a buffer overflow condition can occur. This overflow allows an attacker to overwrite memory and execute arbitrary commands on the affected system without requiring any authentication or user interaction beyond opening or processing the malicious document. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability, as it enables remote code execution with the privileges of the user running the Office application. The CVSS v2 score is 7.2, reflecting a high severity with local attack vector, low attack complexity, no authentication required, and full impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Microsoft has released patches addressing this vulnerability, as documented in security bulletin MS00-002. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the vulnerability remains critical due to the widespread use of affected Office versions at the time and the potential for exploitation via crafted documents, especially in environments where East Asian language document handling is common.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2000-0088 primarily concerns entities that handle Japanese, Korean, or Chinese documents, such as multinational corporations, translation services, import/export businesses, and government agencies engaged in East Asian affairs. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized command execution, resulting in data breaches, system compromise, or disruption of business operations. Given the vulnerability affects legacy Office versions, organizations still running these outdated products are at risk of compromise, potentially leading to lateral movement within networks and exposure of sensitive information. The vulnerability undermines the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems, posing a significant threat to operational continuity and data security. Although no active exploits are known, the ease of exploitation and availability of patches mean unpatched systems remain vulnerable to targeted attacks or insider threats leveraging malicious documents.

Organizations should prioritize patching affected Microsoft Office versions by applying the updates provided in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS00-002. Beyond patching, it is critical to implement strict document handling policies, especially for documents originating from untrusted or external sources in East Asian languages. Deploying endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting anomalous document behavior and buffer overflow attempts can provide additional defense layers. Network segmentation should be employed to limit the spread of potential compromises originating from vulnerable endpoints. User education focused on the risks of opening unsolicited or unexpected documents, particularly those in Japanese, Korean, or Chinese formats, is essential. For legacy systems that cannot be immediately patched or upgraded, disabling the conversion utilities or restricting the processing of these specific document types can reduce attack surface. Regular vulnerability assessments and audits should be conducted to identify and remediate any remaining instances of vulnerable Office versions.